Protagonist or Antagonist?

In a tragedy, the audience has to fear yet pity the protagonist. In Barn Burning the protagonist is Abner, a man who burns the barns of his enemies. On the surface the reader obviously has a fear of Abner, someone who willing burns and destroys the possessions of anyone who does him wrong. Abner fits the role of a tragic figure in his physical similarity to Oedipus, where Oedipus has a scarred heel, Abner has a damaged leg.The pity though is found once the reader looks deeper into the reason why Abner is the way he is. The reader’s pity comes from reading about a man who is so consumed and damaged that he is “shaggy [and] dark gray haired.” Faulkner wrote so that once Abner is shot to death by his enemy, the audience experiences catharsis, or extreme pity for the protagonist’s death.

The story as a whole also fits as a tragedy if the reader looks as the basic structure of the story. Abner, the protagonist, the king (of his family) is first loathed and feared because of his hubris, or narrowed view. Through Faulkner’s unity of action, the reader only knows the bad in Abner until they look deeper into whom Abner Snopes really is. The audience starts to pity Abner as Faulkner shows his damaged and frail life. Once the protagonist is realistically killed, the audience pities him and his family that is torn apart. The irony comes into play in that Abner can also play the antagonist to Sarty. Depending on how the reader views Barn Burning Abner can either be the feared, yet pitied protagonist, or the despised antagonist.